Modular fiber optic tray

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides modular trays having cutout features that are configured to engage with a mounting feature of one or more removable rails. The removable rails may be removeably secured to a tray body in a plurality of positions to allow a user to install or uninstall rails to support different sized fiber optic modules. For example, a tray may support a twenty-four optical fiber module, two twelve optical fiber modules, or three eight optical fiber modules. Fiber optic enclosures housing the trays can be affixed to the outside of a fiber optic enclosure and allow for easy stacking and unstacking.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/356,662, filed Jun. 30, 2016, the subject matter of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to data center management, and inparticular enclosures for high speed data transport fiber cablingsystems. Optical fibers allow for transmission of communications overlonger distances and at higher bandwidths than wire cables. Opticalfibers are also advantageous for communication systems because signalssuffer less loss than wire cables and are immune to electromagneticinterference. Optical fibers are therefore often used for highbandwidth, long distance applications. One of the primary functions of adata center is to provide connections between incoming and outgoingoptical fiber connections.

A user may desire to use different sized fiber optic modules housingoptical fiber connections. At present, such a user installs and removesentire banks of patch panels or trays in order to accommodate differentsized fiber optic modules because trays are currently designed to onlysupport one size of fiber optic module. Thus, it may be advantageous toprovide a tray that allows different sized fiber optic modules to beinstalled within the tray without replacing or removing the tray itself.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a tray to support fiber opticequipment. The tray includes a tray body having a first side edgeportion, a second side edge portion, a front side edge portion, a rearside edge portion and a middle portion. The middle portion of the traybody has a plurality of cutout features. The first side edge portion isconfigured to be secured to a first rail. The second side edge portionis configured to be secured to a second rail. The cutout features areconfigured to engage with a mounting feature of a third rail such thatthe third rail may be removably secured to the tray body in a pluralityof positions.

Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a system tosupport fiber optic equipment. The system includes a tray body having afirst side edge portion, a second side edge portion, a front side edgeportion, a rear side edge portion and a middle portion. The middleportion of the tray body has a first set of cutout features and a secondset of cutout features. The system also includes a first rail secured tothe first side edge portion, a second rail secured to the second sideedge portion, and a third rail having a mounting feature configured tobe removably secured to the first set of cutout features or the secondset of cutout features.

Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method ofsupporting a plurality of sizes of fiber optic modules. The methodincludes inserting a mounting feature of a rail into a first set ofcutout features in a tray body. The method further includes removing themounting feature of the rail from the first set of cutout features inthe tray body. The method further includes inserting the mountingfeature of the rail into a second set of cutout features in the traybody.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the patch panel.

FIG. 1B is an exploded view of the patch panel of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the frame of the patch panel.

FIG. 2B is a front view of the frame of the patch panel.

FIG. 2C is a bottom view of the frame of the patch panel.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the rear of the patch panel.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective and side views of the center supportbrackets, respectively.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the modular tray of the patch panel.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C are perspective views of the left, removable, andright rails of the patch panel, respectively.

FIGS. 6D and 6E are perspective views of the right and left rails of thepatch panel, respectively.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the modular tray with two modules installed inthe tray.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the modular tray with two modulesinstalled in the tray.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the modular tray with three modules installed inthe tray.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the modular tray with three modulesinstalled in the tray.

FIG. 11 is a top view of the modular tray with one module installed inthe tray.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the modular tray with one moduleinstalled in the tray.

FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C are top, side, and cross-section views of theremovable rail of the patch panel.

FIG. 14A is a top view of a portion of the modular tray.

FIG. 14B is a cross-section view of the removable rail.

FIG. 14C is a side view of the removable rail.

FIG. 15 is a top view of the modular tray with three removable railsinstalled in the tray.

FIG. 16 is a top view of a portion of the modular tray with the rightand left rails.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the modular tray with three removablerails installed in the tray.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a portion of the modular tray withthree removable rails installed in the tray.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the bottom of a portion of the modulartray with three removable rails installed in the tray.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the left and right rails and threeremovable rails of the patch panel.

FIG. 21 is cross sectional views of the three removable rails of FIG.15.

FIG. 22 is cross sectional views of the three removable rails of FIG.15.

FIG. 23 is cross sectional views of the three removable rails of FIG.15.

FIG. 24 is cross sectional views of the three removable rails of FIG.15.

FIGS. 25A and 25B are side views of the two different removable railsshown in FIG. 20.

FIGS. 26A and 26B are top views of a portion of the modular tray withmodules installed in the tray.

FIGS. 27A and 27B are top views of a portion of the modular tray withmodules installed in the tray.

FIGS. 28A and 28B are top views of a portion of the modular tray withmodules installed in the tray.

FIGS. 29A and 29B are top views of a portion of the modular tray withmodules installed in the tray.

FIG. 30 is a perspective view of the rear of a High Density FiberEnclosure (“HDFE”).

FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the rear of another embodiment of aHDFE.

FIG. 32 is a perspective view of the rear of another embodiment of aHDFE.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of the HDFE tray with a removable railinstalled in the tray.

FIG. 34 is an exploded perspective view of the HDFE tray of FIG. 33.

FIG. 35 is a perspective view of the body of the HDFE tray.

FIG. 36 is a perspective view of the HDFE tray with two removable railsinstalled in the tray.

FIG. 37 is a perspective view of body of the HDFE tray including rightand left rails.

FIG. 38 is a perspective view of the HDFE removable rail.

FIG. 39 is an exploded perspective view of the HDFE removable rail.

FIG. 40 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of a HDFE tray and aHDFE removable rail.

FIG. 41 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of a HDFE tray with aHDFE removable rail partially installed in the tray.

FIG. 42 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of a HDFE tray with aHDFE removable rail fully installed in the tray.

FIG. 43 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of a HDFE removablerail installed in a HDFE tray.

FIG. 44 is a perspective view of a HDFE enclosure.

FIG. 45 is a front magnified view of the HDFE enclosure.

FIG. 46 is a top view of a portion of a HDFE enclosure.

FIG. 47 is an exploded perspective view of the rear of the HDFEenclosure including a removable top cover.

FIG. 48 is an exploded perspective view of the rear of the HDFEenclosure including a removable top cover.

FIG. 49 is a perspective view of the rear of the HDFE enclosure with theremovable top cover installed.

FIG. 50 is a perspective view of the HDFE enclosure with a HDFEremovable rail partially installed.

FIG. 51 is a side view of a HDFE modular tray with a HDFE removable railpartially installed.

FIG. 52 is a bottom perspective view of the body of a HDFE modular traywith a HDFE removable rail installed in the tray.

FIG. 53 is a top view of a HDFE modular tray with three modulesinstalled in the tray.

FIG. 54 is a perspective view of a HDFE modular tray with three modulesinstalled in the tray.

FIG. 55 is a top view of a HDFE modular tray with two modules installedin the tray.

FIG. 56 is a perspective view of a HDFE modular tray with two modulesinstalled in the tray.

FIG. 57 is a top view of a HDFE modular tray with one module installedin the tray.

FIG. 58 is a perspective view of a HDFE modular tray with one moduleinstalled in the tray.

FIG. 59 is a perspective view of a modular patch panel installed on thefront face of the equipment rail of a fiber optic enclosure.

FIG. 60 is another perspective view of a modular patch panel installedon the side of the equipment rail of a fiber optic enclosure.

FIG. 61 is a perspective view of a modular patch panel installed on therear face of the equipment rail of a fiber optic enclosure.

FIG. 62 is an exploded perspective view of the modular patch panel ofFIG. 61.

FIG. 63 is a perspective view of the modular patch panel.

FIG. 64 is an exploded perspective view of the modular patch panel ofFIG. 63.

FIG. 65 is a cross sectional view of the modular patch panel prior toinstallation of an additional unit.

FIG. 66 is a cross sectional view of the modular patch panel with allunits shown in FIG. 65 installed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a patch panel 50 consists of a frame 100,modular tray 120, and center support brackets 170. A plurality ofremovable rails 180 as shown in FIG. 6B may be added to or removed fromthe modular tray 120 in order to support differently-sized fiber opticmodules 10 that support a different number of optical fibers. Referringto FIG. 5, in a preferred embodiment, the removable rails may be addedor removed in order to support one 24-optical fiber module 20, two12-optical fiber modules 30, or three 8-optical fiber modules 40. Thefiber optic modules shown in all of the Figures (for example, FIG. 7) ofthis application include duplex LC adapters at the front of the modulethat lead to 1 MPO adapter at the rear of the module. The 24-opticalfiber module 20 shown in the Figures includes 12 LC adapters; the12-optical fiber module 30 as shown in the Figures includes 6 LCadapters; and the 8-optical fiber module 40 as shown in the Figuresincludes 4 LC adapters. One of ordinary skill in the art wouldunderstand that different numbers of optical fibers and differentnumbers and types of adapters may be used in a fiber optic module thatmay be installed within the present invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, the frame 100 includes a topcover 102, right side 104, left side 106, and a bottom flange 112. Thebottom flange 112 is configured to support a modular tray 120. The rightside 104 and left side 106 of the frame each include two bridge lancefeatures 110 disposed above the bottom flange 112. The bridge lancefeatures 110 are slots formed in the right side 104 and left side 106 ofthe frame 100 to support additional modular trays 120 in the frame 100.In a preferred embodiment, two bridge lance features 110 are disposed ineach side so that the frame 100 can support two additional modular trays120 above the modular tray 120 supported by the bottom flange 112. Oneof ordinary skill in the art would understand that the bridge lancefeatures 110 and center support brackets 170 (described below) may havemore or fewer slots that support modular trays 120. The frame may alsoinclude holes 108 for mounting the frame 100 to fiber optic enclosurerail 4 within a fiber optic enclosure 2 and mounts 114 for cable slackmanagement trays 8 as shown in FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the center support brackets 170 arecomprised of a bracket body 172, holes 174 to attach the bracket to theframe 100 and lowermost tray 120, and notches 176 to support theadditional modular trays 120 disposed in the frame 100. In a preferredembodiment, the center support brackets 170 include two notches 176 tosupport two additional modular trays 120.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a modular tray 120 includes at least one traybody 132, at least one set of cutout features 140 disposed in the traybody 132, an alignment slot 134 located on the left edge 122 and rightedge 124 of the tray body 132, a left rail 150 (see FIGS. 6A and 6E),and a right rail 160 (see FIGS. 6C and 6D). As shown in FIG. 5, two traybodies 132 may make up one modular tray 120. The alignment slots 134 areeach configured to receive an alignment feature 156, 166 located on thebottom portion 154 of the left rail 150 and bottom portion 164 of rightrail 160. As shown in FIG. 6E, in addition to the alignment feature 156,the left rail 150 also includes a rear latch retention feature 152 and afiber optic module contact protrusion 158. The rear latch retentionfeature 152 is configured to receive a rear fiber optic module retentionlatch 12 of a fiber optic module 10. The fiber optic module contactprotrusion 158 is configured to abut against a fiber optic module 10during installation of a fiber optic module 10 as well as once the fiberoptic module 10 is installed. As shown in FIG. 6D, in addition to thealignment feature 166, the right rail also includes a rear latchretention feature 162 and a front stop latch 168. The front stop latch168 is configured to retain a fiber optic module retention feature 12when a fiber optic module 10 is fully installed in the modular tray 120.Both the left rail 150 and right rail 160 are riveted, secured withscrews, or otherwise permanently installed onto the left edge 122 andright edge 124, respectively, of the modular tray body 132.

Referring back to FIG. 5, the cutout features 140 of the modular tray120 are configured to receive a removable rail 180 in such a way thatthe removable rail 180 may be secured to and removed from the modulartray 120. In a preferred embodiment, one cutout feature 120 is a set oftwo or more cutouts in the body of the tray 120 each shaped to receive aportion of the removable rail 180. The cutout features 120 arepreferably shaped as a larger rectangle at the portion of the cutoutclosest to the front of the modular tray 120 with a rear portion of thecutout that forms a slit. One set of cutout features 140 are disposed ina line parallel to the left and right rails 150, 160. Preferably, threesets of cutout features 140 are disposed on the modular tray. One middleset of cutout features 146 is disposed along the midline between theleft and right rails 150, 160, so that, when a removable rail 180 isinstalled within the middle set of cutout features 146, two 12-opticalfiber modules 30 may be installed on either side of the removable rail180 as shown in FIGS. 7-8. Two additional sets of cutout features, leftset of cutout features 144 and right set of cutout features 142, aredisposed on either side of the middle set of cutout features 146 sothat, when removable rails 180 are installed in both the left set ofcutout features 144 and right set of cut out features 142, three8-optical fiber modules 40 may be installed into the modular tray 120 asshown in FIGS. 9-10. Finally, when no removable rails 180 are installedin the modular tray 120, one 24-optical fiber module may be installedbetween the left rail 150 and right rail 160 as shown in FIGS. 11-12.

Referring now to FIGS. 13A, 13B, and 13C, the removable rails 180include two rear latch retention features 188, a module contactprotrusion 190, a front stop latch 192, a front retention boss 194, andat least one T-shaped mounting feature 196. One rear latch retentionfeature 188 is disposed on the left side 182 and right side 184 of theremovable rail 180. The rear latch retention features 188, modulecontact protrusion 190, and front stop latch 192 are the same as on theleft rail 150 and right rail 160. The front retention boss 194 isdisposed within the front-most portion of the front-most cutout feature140 a when the removable rail 180 is fully installed in a modular tray120. The T-shaped mounting feature 196 is located on the bottom of theremovable rail 180 and includes a tapered front portion 198. TheT-shaped mounting feature is shaped so that it can be inserted into thelarger rectangle portion of the cutout features 140 closest to the frontof the modular tray 120 and then slid toward the back of modular tray120 so that the T-shaped mounting feature 196 securely engages with therear portion of the cutout features 140 that forms a slit.

As shown in FIGS. 14-24, if different sets of cutout features 140 aredisposed on the tray 120, one or more of the sets may be slightlydifferent—i.e. as shown in FIGS. 17-19, the cutout features may be ofdifferent sizes or shapes, or may be closer or further away from thefront of the tray 120 than cutout features in other sets of cutoutfeatures. If this is the case, the removable rails 180 configured to bedisposed in the cutout features would also be slightly different so thatonly a removable rail 180 designed to be installed in a particular setof cutout features 140 could be installed in that set of cutout features140. Such different sizes or shapes may allow for different rails to beused in different positions. Additionally, these rails of differentsizes or shapes may be color coded or otherwise identified to match upthe appropriate removable rail 180 to a set of cutout features 140.

FIGS. 21-24 provide cross-sectional views of the removable rails 180installed in the modular tray 120 shown in FIG. 15. As can be seen inFIG. 21, the tapered front of the T-shaped mounting feature 198 at therear of the center removable rail 180 is larger than the outsideremovable rails 180. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 22, the cross-sectionof the center removable rail 180 is larger than the cross-section of theoutside removable rails 180. Thus, the center removable rail 180 wouldonly fit within the middle set of cutout features 146, and the outsideremovable rails 180 would only fit within the left and right sets ofcutout features 142, 144. FIGS. 23 and 24 show that the second T-shapedfeatures of the removable rails 180 have similarly-sized cross sectionsi.e. the tapered front 198 and cross section of the T-shaped mountingfeatures 196 of the center removable rail 180 are larger than thetapered front 198 and cross section of the T-shaped mounting features196 of the outside removable rails 180. One of ordinary skill in the artwould understand that this feature may be accomplished in many otherways—for example, the middle set of cutouts 146 and T-shaped mountingfeature 196 of the middle removable rail 180 may be disposed slightlycloser to the front if the modular tray 120 than the left and right setsof cutouts 242, 244 and the T-shaped mounting features 196 of the leftand right removable rails 180.

As shown in FIGS. 25A and 25B, in which the removable rail 180 is fullyinstalled in FIG. 25A, in order to install a removable rail 180 into amodular tray 120, the T-shaped mounting feature(s) 196 of the removablerail 180 are inserted through the larger portion of the cutout features140 in one set of cutout features. The removable rail 180 is then slidtoward the back of the modular tray 120 until the T-shaped mountingfeature 196 is secured within the narrower portion of the cutoutfeatures 140. When the T-shaped mounting features 196 reach therear-most portion of the cutout features 140, the front retention boss194 slides into and abuts the front of the front-most cutout 140 a.Thus, the front retention boss 194 secures the removable rail 180 in themodular tray 120. In order to remove the removable rail 180, a userfirst uses his hand or other tool to press the front retention boss 194upward past the front of the front-most cutout 140 a. Once the frontretention boss 194 clears the front-most cutout 140 a, the removablerail 180 may be slid toward the front of the modular tray 120 until theT-shaped features 196 of the removable rail 180 are located in thelarger portion of the cutout features 140. The removable rail 180 isthen no longer secured to the modular tray 120 and may be removed.

As shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B, once the removable rail 180 is installed,fiber optic modules 10 may be installed onto the tray 120 in aconventional manner. In particular, to install a fiber optic module 10from the front of the fiber optic enclosure 2, a user pushes the fiberoptic module 10 from the front of the enclosure into a space on the trayformed by two of the rails installed on the modular tray 120. The usercontinues pushing the fiber optic module 10 into the space until thefront retention feature 14 of the fiber optic module 10 seats within afront stop latch 168 or 192. As shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B, to uninstalla fiber optic module 10 from the front of the enclosure 2 a user pushesthe front stop latch 168 or 192 to the right to release the fiber opticmodule 10. The user then pulls the fiber optic module 10 toward thefront of the fiber optic enclosure 2.

Referring now to FIGS. 28A and 28B, to install a fiber optic module 10from the rear of the fiber optic enclosure 2, the user pushes the fiberoptic module 10 from the rear of the enclosure 2 into a space on thetray 120 formed by two of the rails installed on the modular tray 120.The user continues pushing until the rear module retention latches 12 ofthe fiber optic module 10 seat in the rear latch retention features 152,162, or 188 of the rails. As shown in FIGS. 29A and 29B, to uninstall afiber optic module 10, a user squeezes the rear module retention latches12 of the module toward each other until the fiber optic module 10 isreleased from the rear latch retention features 152, 162, or 188. Theuser then continues to pull the fiber optic module 10 toward the rear ofthe fiber optic enclosure 2.

Another embodiment of the present invention, a High Density FiberEnclosure (HDFE) 200 that includes a modular tray and removable raildesign is described below. As shown in FIGS. 30-32, the High DensityFiber Enclosure 200 includes a top cover 202, bottom portion 212, andmounting for cable slack management 214. As further shown in FIG. 33,the HDFE 200 also includes a HDFE modular tray 220 that includes atleast one tray body 232, HDFE cut out features 240, alignment pins 234,alignment holes 230, metal tabs 236, a HDFE left rail 250, a HDFE rightrail 260, and two labels 16 (shown in FIGS. 36-37). One alignment pin234 each is located on the left edge 222 and right edge 224 of the HDFEmodular tray 220 and passes through an alignment hole 230. The alignmentpins 234 are self-clinching and are configured to engage with a hole ina HDFE left rail 250 and right rail 260, respectively, to align the HDFEleft rail 250 and right rail 260 with the left edge 222 and right edge224 of the HDFE modular tray 220. The alignment pins 234 may beself-tapping screws or another suitable fastener known in the art. Ametal tab 236 is located at the front-most portion of the left edge 222and right edge 224 of the HDFE modular tray 220. The metal tab 236extends upward at a 90 degree angle to the HDFE modular tray 220 andsecures the front portion of the HDFE left rail 250 and right rail 260.The labels 16 are disposed on the front 226 of the HDFE tray 220.

The HDFE left rail 250 and HDFE right rail 260 are both permanentlysecured to the left edge 222 and right edge 224 respectively of the HDFEmodular tray 220. The HDFE left rail 250 and HDFE right rail 260 alsoboth include a metal spring clip 252, 262 for retaining a fiber opticmodule 10. The metal spring clip 252 is disposed on the right side 256of the HDFE left rail 250, and the metal spring clip 262 is disposed onthe left side 266 of the HDFE right rail 260 so that the metal springclips 252, 262 face one another.

The HDFE cutout features 240 are formed to removably receive HDFEremovable rails 280. As shown in FIGS. 33-37, a HDFE cutout feature 240is a set of two or more cutouts in the body of the tray 220 each shapedto receive a portion of the HDFE removable rail 280. The set of cutoutfeatures 240 are disposed in a line parallel to the left and right rails250, 260. In a preferred embodiment four cutouts comprise one set ofcutout features 240. The rear-most cutout 240 a is triangularly-shapedso that the triangle points toward the rear 228 of the HDFE modular tray220. The middle cutout 240 b is formed of an overlapping larger andsmaller rectangle, where the smaller rectangle is configured to securelyhold a portion of the HDFE removable rail 280. The final two cutouts aredisposed proximate to one another near the front 226 of the HDFE modulartray 220. The forward-most cutout 240 d is formed of two ovals cut outof the HDFE modular tray 220. One of the ovals is larger than the other,and the ovals overlap so that a self-clinching keyhole fastener 284 of aremovable rail 280 may be inserted into the larger oval portion of theforward-most cutout 240 d and then slid over to be secured in thesmaller oval portion of the forward-most cutout 240 d. The final cutout,the latch-receiving cutout 240 c, is located just to the rear of theforward-most cutout 240 d and is configured to receive a latch 290 clocated on the HDFE removable rail 280. One embodiment of thelatch-receiving cutout 240 c is a rectangular-shaped cutout.

Referring now to FIGS. 38 and 39, the HDFE removable rail 280 includes ametal bracket 282, two metal spring clips 286, a cassette guide 290, andprotrusions for engaging with the cutout features on the HDFE modulartray 220. The metal bracket 282 extends along the bottom portion 296 ofthe cassette guide 290 and includes a self-clinching keyhole fastener284 for engaging with the forward-most cutout 240 d of the HDFE modulartray 220. The two metal spring clips 286 are disposed on either side ofthe HDFE removable rail 280. The cassette guide 290 is disposed on topof the metal bracket 282 and includes several protrusions for engagingwith the cutout features on the HDFE modular tray 220 as describedbelow. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand, and it iscontemplated by this invention, that the HDFE removable rail 280 couldalso be formed of just one piece and/or could be made of one material.Moreover, HDFE removable rail 280 could be color-coded for easyidentification by a user.

As shown in FIGS. 40-43, the protrusions for engaging with the cutoutfeatures on the HDFE modular tray 220 include a front latch 290 c, amiddle protrusion 290 b, and a rear protrusion 290 a. The front latch290 c includes a latching portion which extends in the direction of theHDFE modular tray 220 when the HDFE removable rail 280 is installed inthe HDFE tray 220 so that the HDFE removable rail 280 may not be movedside to side upon the HDFE removable tray 220. The front latch 290 c isdisposed on the front portion 292 of the cassette guide 290. Thelatching portion of the front latch 290 c extends into thelatch-receiving cutout 240 c to lock the HDFE removable rail 280 to theHDFE modular tray 220. The middle protrusion 290 b is formed to engagewith the middle cutout 240 b and disposed between the front 292 and rear294 portions of the cassette guide 290. The middle protrusion 290 b ispreferably T- or I-shaped so that the top of the T or I of the middleprotrusion 290 b is disposed through the middle cutout 240 b when theHDFE removable rail 280 is installed in the HDFE modular tray 220. Therear protrusion 290 a is formed to engage with the rear-most cutout 240a and disposed on the rear 294 of the cassette guide 290. The rearprotrusion 290 a is formed so that the rear portion of rear protrusion290 a engages with the triangularly-shaped rear-most cutout 240 a sothat the HDFE removable rail 280 can pivot in a plane parallel to theHDFE modular tray 220.

As shown in FIGS. 44-46, portions of the bottom portion 212 of the HDFEenclosure 200 may be raised. One of ordinary skill in the art wouldunderstand that these raised or beaded portions are typically includedin an enclosure to strengthen the enclosure. However, the beads 212 athat run parallel to the rails 250, 260, and 280 also provide clearancebetween the HDFE tray 220 and the bottom portion 212 of the HDFEenclosure 200. This provides a space for the protrusions 290 a, 290 b,and 290 c of the HDFE removable rail 280 to move within when a HDFEremovable rail 280 is installed within an HDFE tray 220. Other shapesand types of beads 212 a are contemplated by this disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 46-47, the top cover 202 of the HDFE enclosure 200 iscut away above the mounting for cable slack management 212. In oneembodiment of the disclosed invention, this cut away portion may becovered by a removable top cover 202 a as shown in FIGS. 47-49.

The sets of cutouts features 240 in the HDFE modular tray 220 andprotrusions on the HDFE removable rail 280 may be slightly different sothat only a particular HDFE removable rail 280 may be secured within aset of cutout features 240 as previously described with respect to thepatch panel embodiment. For example, the middle set of cutouts 246 maybe disposed slightly closer to the front of the HDFE modular tray 220than the left and right sets of cutouts 242, 244, and the protrusions onthe HDFE removable rail 280 may be disposed closer to the front of theHDFE removable rail 280.

Referring now to FIGS. 50-52, in order to insert the HDFE removable rail280 into the HDFE modular tray 220, a user first positions the HDFEremovable rail 280 so that all of the protrusions 290 a, 290 b, 290 cand the self-clinching keyhole fastener 284 are disposed within one setof cutout features 240. The user then pushes the removable rail 280toward the rear of the HDFE tray 220 to seat the rear-most protrusion290 a into rear of the rear-most cutout 240 a. Maintaining theprotrusions 290 a, 290 b, 290 c and self-clinching keyhole fastener 284in corresponding cutouts 240 a, 240 b, 240 c, and 240 d, the user thenrotates the HDFE removable rail 280 so that the middle protrusion 290 bis moved into the smaller portion of the middle cutout 240 b. As thisoccurs, the front latch 290 c seats within the latch-receiving cutout240 c to secure the HDFE removable rail 280 in the HDFE modular tray.The self-clinching keyhole fastener 284 seats in cutout 240 d at thistime as well. In order to remove the HDFE removable rail, the userdepresses and releases the front latch 290 c, rotates the HDFE removablerail 280 slightly so that the front latch 290 c, middle protrusion 290b, and self-clinching keyhole fastener 284 are no longer seated in thelatch-receiving cutout 240 c, the smaller portion of the middle cutout240 b, and the smaller portion of forward most cutout feature 240 d. Theuser then pulls HDFE removable rail 280 slightly forward, lifts, andremoves the HDFE removable rail 280 from the HDFE modular tray 220.

Preferably, three sets of cutout features 240 are disposed on the HDFEtray. One middle set of cutout features 246 is disposed along themidline between the left and right rails 250, 260, so that, when aremovable rail 280 is installed within the middle set of cutout features246, two 12-optical fiber modules 30 may be installed on either side ofthe removable rail 280 as shown in FIGS. 55-56. Two additional sets ofcutout features, left set of cutout features 244 and right set of cutoutfeatures 242, are disposed on either side of the middle set of cutoutfeatures 246 so that, when removable rails 280 are installed in both theleft set of cutout features 244 and right set of cut out features 242,three 8-optical fiber modules 40 may be installed into the HDFE tray 220as shown in FIGS. 53-54. Finally, when no removable rails 280 areinstalled in the HDFE tray 220, one 24-optical fiber module 20 may beinstalled between the left rail 250 and right rail 260 as shown in FIG.57-58.

One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the cutoutfeatures 140 and removable rails 180 described with respect to the patchpanel 50 could be used within the High Density Fiber Enclosure 200, andthat the HDFE cutout features 240 and HDFE removable rail 280 could beused with the patch panel 50. Moreover, one of ordinary skill in the artwould understand that differently shaped cutouts and removable railmount shapes could be used in either the patch panel 50 or High DensityFiber Enclosure 200. These additional modular tray and removable raildesigns are contemplated and included within this description.

Finally, a modular patch panel that may include removable railsdescribed above is also disclosed. Referring now to FIGS. 59-63, themodular patch panel 500 includes at least one unit 600 that can beattached to a fiber optic enclosure equipment rail 4 or another unit600, a post mounting bracket 700, and a mounting plate 800. A unit 600includes four hooks 610, four openings 612, a cantilever latch 614, amating hole 616, and a cutout 618. The four hooks 610 are disposed onthe top portion 602 of the unit 600. Two of the hooks 610 are disposedon the left edge 606 of the unit 600 so that the hooks face the samedirection. Two of the hooks 610 are disposed on the right edge 608 ofthe unit 600 so that the hooks 610 face the same direction as the hooks610 disposed on the left edge 606 of the unit 600. The four holes 612are disposed through the bottom portion 604 of the unit 600. The holes612 are configured to slidably receive the four hooks 610 of a differentunit 600 to secure the units 600 together. One of ordinary skill in theart would understand, and it is contemplated in this invention, thathooks 610 of different shapes, or even posts or other protrusions, couldbe used to engage with holes 612.

The cantilever latch 614 is disposed between two of the hooks 610 on theright edge 608 of the unit 600 and includes a cantilevered portion 620.The cantilevered portion 620 faces the opposite direction of the hooks610 and is configured to lock the units 600 to one another when thehooks 610 are fully installed in the holes 612 by engaging with themating hole 616 of another unit 600. The mating hole 616 is disposed onthe bottom portion 604 of each unit 600, and the cantilever latch 614 isdisposed on the top portion 602 of each unit 600. A cutout 618 in eachunit 600 allows a user to reach between the units 600 to depress andrelease the cantilever latch 614. The units 600 may be stacked andsecured to one another as discussed below to add additional mounting forfiber optic trays and modules outside a fiber optic enclosure 2.

The bottom-most unit 600 can be attached to a fiber optic equipmentenclosure rail 4 by using a post mounting bracket 700 and a mountingplate 800. The post mounting bracket 700 is designed to be secured tothe fiber optic equipment enclosure rail 4 using the mounting holesalready existing in the enclosure rail 4. The mounting plate 800 issecured to the post mounting bracket 700 and includes four hooks 810 anda cantilever latch 814. The hooks 810 and cantilever latch 814 are allconfigured to be the same as the hooks 610 and cantilever latch 614. Aunit 600 may also include a label card 902 and label card holder 900 foridentifying the particular unit 600.

Referring now to FIGS. 64-66, to install a set of units 600 on the frontor rear face of an equipment rail 4 of a fiber optic enclosure 2, theuser first installs the post mounting bracket 700 using the pre-existingmounting holes on the fiber optic equipment enclosure rail 2,corresponding holes on the post mounting bracket 700, and bolts orscrews to secure the post mounting bracket 700 to the rail 4 as shown inFIG. 62. A user then installs the mounting plate 800 onto the postmounting bracket 700 using bolts or screws. Once the post mountingbracket 700 and mounting plate 800 are secure, the user can attach afirst unit 600 to the mounting plate 800 by positioning the mountingholes 612 of the unit 600 over the hooks 810 of the mounting plate 800.The user then slides the unit 600 with respect to the mounting plate 800so that the edge of each the mounting holes 612 is positioned within thecrook of each of the hooks 810. When the edge of the mounting holes 612touches the back of the hooks 810, the cantilever latch 814 of themounting plate 800 is positioned within the mating hole 616 of the unit600 and the cantilevered portion 820 abuts the edge of the mating hole616 to secure the unit 600 to the mounting plate 800. The first unit 600may be pre-installed by a manufacturer on the post mounting bracket 700and mounting plate 800, such that a user may simultaneously install thefirst unit 600, mounting bracket 700, and mounting plate 800. A secondunit 600 may be installed on the first unit 600 by positioning the hooks610 of the first unit within the mounting holes 612 of the second unit600, and sliding the second unit 600 relative to the first unit 600until the hooks 610 and cantilever latch 614 are positioned in theircorresponding holes as discussed above.

To remove a unit 600 from a stack of units 600 installed together, theuser uses his hand or a tool to depress the cantilever latch 614 andrelease the top-most unit 600. The user then slides the unit 600 untilthe hooks 610 no longer engage the mounting holes 612. The unit 600 maythen be removed from the stack of units 600.

Furthermore, while the particular preferred embodiments of the presentinvention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the teaching of the invention. The matter set forth inthe foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way ofillustration only and not as limitation.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A tray to support fiber optic equipment,said tray comprising: a tray body having a first side edge portion, asecond side edge portion, a front side edge portion, a rear side edgeportion and a middle portion, wherein said middle portion of said traybody has a plurality of cutout features; wherein said first side edgeportion is configured to be secured to a first rail; wherein said secondside edge portion is configured to be secured to a second rail; and,wherein said plurality of cutout features are configured to engage witha mounting feature of a third rail such that the third rail may beremovably secured to the tray body in a plurality of positions.
 2. Thetray of claim 1, wherein said plurality of cutout features are arrangedas a first set of at least two cutouts in the middle portion of saidtray body.
 3. The tray of claim 2, wherein said first set of at leasttwo cutouts in the middle portion of said tray body is disposed in aline parallel to the first side edge portion.
 4. The tray of claim 3,wherein said first set of at least two cutouts is disposed along amidline between the first side edge portion and the second side edgeportion.
 5. The tray of claim 4, further comprising a second set ofcutout features disposed between the first side edge portion of the traybody and the first set of at least two cutouts disposed along saidmidline.
 6. The tray of claim 5, wherein said second set of cutoutfeatures is arranged as a set of at least two cutouts in the middleportion of said tray body in a line parallel to the first side edgeportion.
 7. The tray of claim 5, further comprising a third set ofcutout features disposed between the second side edge portion of thetray body and the first set of at least two cutouts disposed along saidmidline.
 8. The tray of claim 7, wherein said third set of cutoutfeatures is arranged as a set of at least two cutouts in the middleportion of said tray body in a line parallel to the second side edgeportion.
 9. A system to support fiber optic equipment, said systemcomprising: a tray body having a first side edge portion, a second sideedge portion, a front side edge portion, a rear side edge portion and amiddle portion, wherein said middle portion of said tray body has afirst set of cutout features and a second set of cutout features; afirst rail secured to said first side edge portion; a second railsecured to said second side edge portion; and, a third rail having amounting feature configured to be removably secured to said first set ofcutout features or said second set of cutout features.
 10. The system ofclaim 9, wherein said third rail is not secured to said first set ofcutout features or said second set of cutout features such that atwenty-four optical fiber module may be secured to said tray by saidfirst rail and said second rail.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein saidfirst set of cutout features is arranged as a set of at least twocutouts disposed in parallel to the first side edge portion of said trayand disposed along a midline between the first side edge portion and thesecond side edge portion.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein said thirdrail is removably secured to said first set of cutout features.
 13. Thesystem of claim 12, wherein a first twelve optical fiber module may besecured to said tray by said first rail and said third rail, and whereina second twelve optical fiber module may be secured to said tray by saidsecond rail and said third rail.
 14. The system of claim 9, wherein saidsecond set of cutout features is arranged as a set of at least twocutouts disposed in parallel to the first side edge portion of said trayand disposed between a midline between the first side edge portion andthe second side edge portion and the first side edge portion of saidtray.
 15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a third set ofcutout features arranged as a set of at least two cutouts disposed inparallel to the second side edge portion of said tray and disposedbetween said midline and the second side edge portion of said tray. 16.The system of claim 15, wherein said third rail is removably secured tosaid second set of cutout features.
 17. The system of claim 15, whereinsaid third rail is removably secured to said third set of cutoutfeatures.
 18. The system of claim 15, wherein said third rail isremovably secured to said second set of cutout features and furthercomprising a fourth rail removably secured to said third set of cutoutfeatures.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein a first eight opticalfiber module may be secured to said tray by said first rail and saidthird rail, a second eight optical fiber module may be secured to saidtray by said third rail and said fourth rail, and a third eight opticalfiber module may be secured to said tray by said fourth rail and saidsecond rail.
 20. The system of claim 9, further comprising an enclosurehaving a top portion, a bottom portion, a first side and a second side,wherein portions of said bottom portion of said enclosure are raised inparallel to said cutout features to facilitate a gap between the traybody and portions of the bottom portion of said enclosure that are notraised.
 21. The system of claim 9, wherein said first side edge portionof said tray body is configured to mount to a first side edge portion ofa second tray body and said second side edge portion of said tray bodyis configured to mount to a second side edge portion of a second traybody.